Que. officer dies after being struck by car during traffic stop

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A Quebec provincial police officer is dead after he was struck by a car during a routine traffic stop north of Montreal.

Surete du Quebec officer Donovan Lagrange was hiton Saturday afternoon as he walked back to his car after he pulled over two vehicles during a radar operation in Bois-des-Filion.

Lagrange, 33, had been a police officer for nine years.

He was the second officer the force has lost in as many weeks. A 23-year-old officer died on Sept. 27 in a single-car crash while she was responding to an emergency call.

“In the police we’re all like a big family,” SQ spokesperson Christine Coulombe told CTV Montreal. “And when we lose two members of the family in a short time, it’s very difficult for all the police officers.”

Lagrange’s death comes in the wake of new provincial legislation that requires Quebec drivers to slow down and give more space to emergency vehicles that have pulled over to the side of the road.

The so-called move-over law came into effect in the summer.

“If you fail to move over in a safe manner and appropriately, then you are going to be facing a fine of $200, plus four points,” said lawyer Jordan Charness. “And that’s of course if nothing happens.”

In the event of an accident, a driver could be charged and jailed.

According to figures from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), more than 200 vehicles were involved in accidents involving cars stopped by the side of the road in the last three years. Four people have been killed.

Police said Sunday that Lagrange’s death is still under investigation and charges could be laid.

With a report from CTV Montreal’s Aphrodite Salas and files from The Canadian Press